8 statehouse races not to overlook
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about Arizona’s governor and U.S. Senate races, and for good reason. They are competitive, and the outcomes could affect politics for years.
Ditto for the state House and Senate, where voters could send messages about education funding and ethics that reverberate through the Capitol for quite some time. Here are eight races you shouldn’t overlook:
District 12 Senate
Similar faces, different results? Republican Jimmy Lindblom is again taking on the district’s conservative establishment with the backing of a few Gilbert and Queen Creek officials, as he did unsuccessfully in 2016. But teacher pay, campaign contributions and term limits have been big issues in the 2018 version of this race — issues that have been driving debates in other statewide races. If Lindblom manages an upset against longtime lawmaker Eddie Farnsworth, it’s a good indication that even the reddest voters may be ready for some new faces at the Capitol.
District 13 Senate
Republican Don Shooter wants his seat back after his colleagues fired him this year (he contends it was because he was threatening to expose misspending, not because he was accused of sexual harassment). But Shooter also faces Sine Kerr, who is currently in the seat, and Brent Backus, who filed the lawsuit alleging Shooter no longer lives in the district. The state high court let Shooter stay on the ballot, but the question remains whether Shooter adequately represents this sprawling Yuma district.
District 14 Senate
Voters in this southern Arizona district must ask themselves whose money problems are the least egregious. Republican David Gowan left the House two years ago after he used taxpayer money for questionable travel expenses and banned reporters from the House floor. His main competition is state Rep. Drew John, who owes nearly $55,000 in back taxes. Lori Kilpatrick is the third candidate in the race, running a buildthe-wall, get-the-feds-out campaign.
District 23 Senate
Republican Kristina Kelly is one of several teachers on the ballot pressing for better education funding. But she faces people with more name recognition in this Scottsdale/Fountain Hills district: Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who is term limited in the House but also was the focus of sexual-harassment allegations, and Tim Jeffries, who is suing the state after he was fired from his Department of Economic Security post. If Kelly wins, that may indicate how much power other teacher candidates have in the general.
District 5 House
Incumbent Paul Mosley invoked legislative immunity multiple times to avoid speeding tickets. He is alleged to have said things that upset women, including his seatmate, Regina Cobb. But will Republican voters ax him for it? The politics in this northwestern Arizona district are full of drama, and the candidates that could replace him (Leo Biasiucci and Jennifer Jones-Esposito) don’t have clean resumes, either. This is a choice that looks easier than it is.
District 12 House
Warren Petersen and incumbent Travis Grantham are running as a team with Senate candidate Eddie Farnsworth. They represent the conservative establishment that Gilbert and Queen Creek voters have long elected. But they have two opponents on the right — a moderate (Blake Sacha) and a conservative outsider (Nick Meyers) — and three on the left (yes, there’s a contested Democratic primary this year in a traditionally conservative district), all of whom contend the establishment is out of touch with what voters want. If voters agree, that could indicate greater voter discontent statewide.
District 18 House
Republican incumbent Jill Norgaard and Democratic incumbent Mitzi Epstein will likely survive their primary challenges in this Chandler/Tempe/Ahwatukee Foothills district. But which candidates will move forward with them? Will Republicans choose an ardent Planned Parenthood foe (Don Hawker), an at-times controversial former lawmaker and regent (Greg Patterson) or a Bangladesh native who helps do minority outreach for the state party (Farhana Shifa)?
Likewise, will Democrats choose a community activist (Jennifer Jermaine) or a Democratic socialist (LaDawn Stuben)? Each race is a microcosm of the splits within the parties — and could show which way voters are leaning in a year where it’s hard to read the tea leaves.
District 24 House
The Democratic primary is basically race for this central Phoenix district, and there are seven — yes, seven — candidates running for two seats. Like District 18, the outcome of this race could help reveal what kind of candidates Democrats are looking to elect.
Ken Clark is the lone incumbent. Architect John Glenn has raised more cash than his opponents (and come under fire for that), while ER doctor Amish Shah has the most cash on hand (though most of it is self-financed). Also in the race are a gun-violence activist (Jennifer Longdon, who was paralyzed in a 2004 shooting), an outreach director for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign (Marcus Ferrell), a nurse practitioner (Denise Link) and a business owner (Fred Dominguez).